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The ultimate Italian menu for Valentine’s Day

Italy is the homeland of love and romance, so why not recreate the flavours of the beautiful country this Valentine’s Day? These easy romantic recipes will make your love for each other as strong as a padlock on Venice’s Rialto Bridge.

Great Italian Chefs is a team of passionate food-lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest news, views and reviews from the gastronomic mecca that is Italy.

From the sun-drenched island of Sicily to the incredible sights to behold in cities like Venice and Florence, Italy is a country brimming with love, romance and – most importantly – amazing food and drink. If you can’t surprise your significant other with a quick holiday, then bring a taste of Italy to your own home. At the very least, you get to show off your culinary prowess.

This menu features some of our most romantic recipes, all of which are easy to create and take little time to prepare. The most important thing you can do is spend time sourcing the very best ingredients you can afford – the simplicity of the recipes allows the produce to shine through, and something from the refrigerated isle of a supermarket will pale in comparison to a fresher, higher quality version from a specialist delicatessen. So let the wine breathe, light some candles and get ready to whip up the most romantic meal of your life.

Cocktail

What better way to kick things off than with a cocktail that transports you to the romantic waterways of Venice? You’d have to search long and hard to find someone who doesn’t like the taste of a peach Bellini – the simple combination of peach purée and Prosecco is heaven in a glass. White peaches might be a tad tricky to source in February, but you can buy the purée ready-made and frozen online.

Just four ingredients are needed to create this delicious little snack from the mountains of South Tyrol. If you can’t find exactly what the recipe asks for, then swap the puccia bread for ciabatta and the speck for another cured Italian ham. The trick is to place the loaf in the freezer for twenty minutes, so it’s easier to cut the thinnest slices possible.

Starter

Pasta is hardly ever cooked as a starter in homes outside of Italy, but it’s actually perfectly suited to being served before the main event – as long as you get your portions right. Giuseppe D’Aquino knows how important the ingredients are when cooking simple spaghetti dishes like this one, so don’t skimp on the ingredients and get ready to be wowed at how such an easy to make dish can have so much flavour.

Main

If you’ve never cooked rabbit before, don’t be put off – it’s really easy and the subtle flavour means it takes on the flavours of herbs beautifully. Matched here with a creamy, rich potato purée, juicy redcurrants and crispy tarragon, this is a dish that shows off foodie flair with seriously little effort. Serve it with a glass of good Italian wine and get ready to impress.

Dessert

Finally, to dessert; the course that needs to finish off the meal with a bang. Chocolate is always a safe bet, and this special semifreddo from Naples is rich, indulgent and made all the more delicious with a splash of rum. You can make it in advance and keep it in the freezer, taking it out just as you serve the main course so it softens up and turns all creamy. Paired with a sweet dessert wine or a glass of Frangelico, this is a recipe guaranteed to put a smile on both your faces.

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